NEW DELHI, July 2 � The AICC is alarmed over reports of a breakaway faction comprising MLAs and Congress members splitting the party ahead of the 2016 Assembly polls.
A senior AICC leader said that they have sought a report from the PCC president Anjan Dutta about the latest developments in the party that it fears might have serious ramifications.
Much significance was attached to a meeting between Himanta Biswa Sarma and AICC general secretary Dr CP Joshi on Wednesday, when the Assam Congress leader virtually served an ultimatum.
AICC sources confided that Sarma has conveyed to Dr Joshi that their patience is running thin and they can at best wait for another month before they �act�. The tough message is seen as an indication of things to come in the future, sources said.
Himanta�s group is demanding Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and PCC president Anjan Dutta�s heads though they have cleverly couched their words by calling for implementation of the Mallikarjun Kharge committee�s recommendation.
Sources said that Sarma also turned down the suggestion to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, conveying that they would prefer to wait for a decision by the AICC.
The AICC leadership here is anxious following reports that a group of Congress-men, including a few MLAs were planning to split the party ahead of the polls, delivering a deadly blow to the ruling clich�.
Sources said that they would again try to reason out with Sarma, who is feeling neglected in the party ever since he fell out with the Chief Minister.
�We are considering all options, including offering him the post of the chairman of the campaign committee,� a senior leader familiar with the developments in Assam, told this newspaper.
It has been learnt that senior leaders of the AICC, including Dr Joshi, political secretary to Congress president Ahmed Patel and general secretary Digvijay Singh met to discuss the developments in Assam. The Chief Minister and PCC president are now likely to be summoned to Delhi for discussion to work out a way to defuse the crisis, sources said.
The Congress is pinning much hope on Assam, given that it won three consecutive elections in the past. But the setbacks in the last Parliamentary polls has led to apprehensions within the AICC. With BJP gaining ground in the State by wresting seven of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, the party is nervous.
All is not well in the Assam Congress and APCC president Anjan Dutta last week issued showcause notices to five senior leaders, out of which two leaders, namely Hiranya Bora and Diganta Kalita have resigned from the party, while the other submitted their replies to the AICC.
